The percentage of the world population suffering from morbid obesity is steadily increasing. Severely obese persons may be susceptible to increased risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, pulmonary disease, and accidents. Because of the effects of morbid obesity on the life of the patient, methods of treating morbid obesity have been the subject of intense research.
One known method for treating morbid obesity includes the use of anastomotic rings. Devices for applying anastomotic rings are known in the art. Devices of this nature are commonly adapted to insert a compressed anastomotic ring to an anastomotic opening formed between proximate gastrointestinal tissue walls. These applier devices may utilize a ring deployment mechanism comprising an expansion element that is actuated once the compressed ring is placed in the anastomotic opening, causing the anastomotic ring to expand from its compressed, cylindrically-shaped position to an actuated, hollow rivet-shaped position.
It may be desirable to have an applier device that has one or more removable portions. For instance, it may be desirable to have an applier with a ring deployment mechanism that can be separated from the rest of the applier device, such as the handle. Such removability or separability may be desirable for a variety of purposes. By way of example only, a handle portion of an applier device may be reusable, while the ring deployment mechanism of the applier device is disposable. In other words, by configuring the applier device such that the ring deployment mechanism is removable, the ring deployment mechanism may be replaced in lieu of replacing the applier device in its entirety. As another merely illustrative example, various distal ends of applier devices may be modular, such that the same handle may be used with various types of distal ends. Other advantages that may result from having an applier device with one or more removable parts will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art.